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Billing code 38232: Bone marrow harvestMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports surgical collection of a patient's own bone marrow for hematopoietic cell transplantation, rather than diagnostic marrow sampling or peripheral blood collection.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities590 Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $157.99 for 38232 nationally in a facility.

Medicare rate · 38232

Bone marrow harvest

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
3.41
Total RVUs
4.73
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$157.99

Facility setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 38232 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 38232 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 38232 covers

A clinician harvests bone marrow for the patient's own future transplant, typically by repeated aspiration from the iliac bones in an operating room under anesthesia. The collection is intended to obtain hematopoietic cells for transplantation, not to investigate a suspected marrow disorder. The operating clinician documents the harvest procedure and the autologous transplant purpose.

Report 38232 for autologous marrow collection; use 38230 when the marrow is harvested from an allogeneic donor. The operative note should identify the autologous collection and describe the harvest performed. This minor procedure has a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures occur in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and the others are subject to the standard multiple procedure reduction. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documentation of medical necessity; co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 38232 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

38232 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
AlabamaUnavailable$147.83
Alaska*Unavailable$210.07
ArizonaUnavailable$154.92
ArkansasUnavailable$146.60
AtlantaUnavailable$161.81
AustinUnavailable$158.19
BakersfieldUnavailable$157.06
Baltimore/Surr. CntysUnavailable$165.49
BeaumontUnavailable$154.30
BrazoriaUnavailable$155.33

38232 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

MEWIVTNHMTNDMNMINYMARIWAIDWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTORNVUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDECAAZNMKSOKARTNNCSCDCTXLAMSALGAFLAKHI

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

View every state and territory as a table
38232 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AKNo published base rate1
ALNo published base rate1
ARNo published base rate1
AZNo published base rate1
CANo published base rate29
CONo published base rate1
CTNo published base rate1
DCNo published base rate1
DENo published base rate1
FLNo published base rate3
GANo published base rate2
GUNo published base rate1
HINo published base rate1
IANo published base rate1
IDNo published base rate1
ILNo published base rate4
INNo published base rate1
KSNo published base rate1
KYNo published base rate1
LANo published base rate2
MANo published base rate2
MDNo published base rate3
MENo published base rate2
MINo published base rate2
MNNo published base rate1
MONo published base rate3
MSNo published base rate1
MTNo published base rate1
NCNo published base rate1
NDNo published base rate1
NENo published base rate1
NHNo published base rate1
NJNo published base rate2
NMNo published base rate1
NVNo published base rate1
NYNo published base rate5
OHNo published base rate1
OKNo published base rate1
ORNo published base rate2
PANo published base rate2
PRNo published base rate1
RINo published base rate1
SCNo published base rate1
SDNo published base rate1
TNNo published base rate1
TXNo published base rate8
UTNo published base rate1
VANo published base rate2
VINo published base rate1
VTNo published base rate1
WANo published base rate2
WINo published base rate1
WVNo published base rate1
WYNo published base rate1

How the 38232 rate is calculated

Each of 38232’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 38232

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 3.41Practice expense 0.87Malpractice 0.45

4.7300 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$157.99

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 38232

The CMS indicators that decide how 38232 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 38232

Bone marrow harvest

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)0Not paid without supporting documentation.
Co-surgeons (62)0Not permitted.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

38232 without 51 · national facility

$157.99

Bone marrow harvest

38232-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$79.00

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

38232 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

38232 vs 38230 vs 38206 vs 38222: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 38232
    Bone marrow harvest · 3.41 wRVU
    —
  • 38230
    Marrow harvest · 3.41 wRVU
    —
  • 38206
    · 1.46 wRVU
    —
  • 38222
    Bone marrow exam · 1.4 wRVU
    $177.02

How to choose

38230Marrow harvest
Choose 38232 when the harvested marrow is for the patient's own transplant; choose 38230 when it is harvested from an allogeneic donor.
38206Harvest auto stem cells
38206 is autologous peripheral blood stem cell collection. Use 38232 for a bone marrow harvest.
38222Bone marrow exam
38222 describes diagnostic marrow aspiration and biopsy. It is not the transplant harvest service reported with 38232.

Codes related to 38232

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Codes related to 38232
CodeHow it relatesNational office range
Same family
38230Marrow harvestBone marrow harvest for an allogeneic donor rather than the patient's own transplant.No office rate
Used instead
38206Harvest auto stem cellsAutologous stem cell collection uses peripheral blood rather than harvested marrow.No office rate
38205Harvest allogeneic stem cellAllogeneic stem cell collection uses peripheral blood rather than marrow from the patient.No office rate

38232 billing questions

How does 38232 differ from 38230?

38232 is for harvesting marrow for the patient's own transplant. Use 38230 when the marrow comes from an allogeneic donor.

Is marrow collected for diagnosis reported with 38232?

No. Diagnostic marrow aspiration or biopsy is distinct from a transplant harvest; select the diagnostic service code when the purpose is evaluation rather than cell collection for transplantation.

How is 38232 different from 38206?

38232 describes autologous bone marrow harvest. Code 38206 describes autologous stem cell collection from peripheral blood, a different collection method.

Can modifier 50 be used for a harvest from both iliac bones?

No. CMS identifies bilateral adjustment as inappropriate for 38232, even when the harvest involves both sides.

When is an assistant at surgery payable?

Only when the record documents medical necessity for the assistant. Co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted for this code.

What same-day care is included?

The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. If other procedures are performed in the same session, the standard multiple procedure reduction applies.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 38232PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 4,730 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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